Mix The Burning with Friday The 13th minus excessive but still ok gore and you get Honeymoon Horror. Budget lodge-slasher about a maniac killing newlyweds. Lots of likeable characters. They seem to care for each other and actually stick together when in danger. Not a very common thing in slasher cinema. They still wander off occasionally though, and deservedly pay for doing so
This one is also oozing with cheese but all in all, a solid effort.

Of all the obscure-ish slashers I've been watching, this one was definitely a favorite. The opening accident that puts the film in motion is so perfectly textbook, same with the awesome breathing track that plays throughout. This is the movie that STUDENT BODIES and THANKSGIVING love most! It's even got those terrible throwaway scenes with the cops. I had a blast with this low-budget, earnest and fun little slasher. It made a mint for Sony on home video back in the day...I say it's time they use it to really kick Blu-ray into the mainstream.

For an obscure slasher, this one actually never was hard to find around here. Perhaps it has something to do with it's Texan roots? I remember that I used to get it and the similarly titled (with similar cover art) Honeymoon mixed up constantly. I have an old VHS buried away god knows where. Haven't seen it in ages, but this thread makes me want to dig it out. I do remember this one being a blast, as well as having yet another amusing sheriff character.

Definitely amateurish, and it's the kind of film that shows how well-made something like Madman actually is. Still, I love the burn makeup, even if it isn't 100 % convincing, and there is one good shot in the film, where the charred killer advances upon his supposed widow - and the the way he hoarsely hisses her name, making her realise who he is is a cool moment.

On the downside, we are treated to the fattest, most obnoxious cop ever, a truly terrible ending, and night scenes so dark that you can't work out what's going on.

I actually like this movie and think it would make a great DVD release but sadly, it will likely never happen. Roughly once a year, I go through a long list of obscure titles I would love to see on the DVD format in the event one has slipped past the radar. I contacted Code Red requesting this title several times over the years and actually just recieved a response to my latest enquiry today.

The print they used back in the 80's looks washed up and damaged. it's been 20 years since that release, why would that print looks any better. Most likely it'll be red and faded. If a muti-million dollars vhs label like SONY couldn't do a clean transfer. How can a little label like me do any better, if not alot worst? I am tired of the web picking on my transfer. You should ask some other label to take a financial risk putting out this forgotten southern horror film. because there is no way this film will look any better than the terrible vhs. We don't sell enough to breakeven with this kind of title. Most horror fans netflix and selling netflix 60 copies isn't going to breakeven all the cost to fix this film. I am sorry, but this film is damaged by the looks of the SONY vhs.

Well I have contacted many companies requesting many films. Just thought this would make a good Code Red release. And as we all know, some films are just not going to look great for one reason or the next. That does not mean there is less of a market for films like this to be put on the format...Anyway, just my thoughts.

To make things even more interesting, I have been in touch with the director who has told me the production was plagued by delays, inadequate equipment and funding and the producer ran out of money alltogether. Then five years later, the film ends up on vidoe store shelves.

A directors cut of the film did exist but has been lost. And as it has been put to me Bill Pecchi (editor and sheriff in the film) "Butched it".

"The print they used back in the 80's looks washed up and damaged. it's been 20 years since that release, why would that print looks any better". At the risk of sounding like an idiot, couldn't there be more than one print of the movie in existence? Just because SONY had the capacity, the finances, the resources to make it look better, maybe they were lazy and didn't feel like putting much effort into it. Maybe they just used the first print they had at their disposal, not necessarily the best looking one. Of course SONY, MGM and other million dollar companies COULD do a lot more for their horror fans, but that doesn't mean they WILL. If i'm not mistaken SONY owns "SlaughterHouse Rock" and there is no DVD of that one either.

"we don't sell enough to break even with this kind of title". I won't argue with that but they are planning on releasing the 1982 slasher "Scream" the summer of 2009. There is no way that movie is better than this one (as a slasher). I can't possibly see that movie selling more than "Honeymoon Horror" if both were to come out on DVD the same day. Maybe the film materials for Scream are in pristine condition but personally I think both Scream and Honeymoon Horror are great films and I would buy both of them on DVD if they had extra features.

Don't get me wrong, I love Code Red and I have supported them, they have done a fantastic job so far with all their titles and I hope they keep going strong for many years but its sad that we will probably never get an official DVD of Honeymoon Horror

Scream is coming? The only way a release of that could be justified is if there were a featurette deconstructing that most alienating and incomprehensible of endings. Yet, I love slashers too much to not be excited about owning that sucker on DVD.

I'd think Honeymoon Horror would be a pretty big seller on DVD. It has a great, marketable premise summed up right in the title, and whoever is releasing it could certainly go the grindhouse angle, since this one hits the cliches with perfection. Would it even be possible for Code Red to get something like this, considering it's always been a Sony property?

Rewatched this last night and even enjoyed it more on my second viewing. Cheryl Black who plays Elaine was above average, performance-wise. Too bad she quit or retired from acting after this and one episode of "Dallas."

Love the trivia:

Made in 1982, this was one of the very first Direct to Video films purchased by Sony Home Video and released to the then brand new Video Rental Markets. To this day, this film is unavailable on DVD or sell through VHS and it grossed for Sony, in the rental markets alone world wide - over $22 million dollars. They bought it for $50,000 from the Texas film makers.

Every time this thread gets revived I hope for some magical announcement from Sony that it's going to hit Blu-ray. I was late to the game with this one, but much love, much love. It's kind of like what I wanted The Burning to be - less sleaze, more grindhouse fun. Love it!

Every time this thread gets revived I hope for some magical announcement from Sony that it's going to hit Blu-ray.

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I wish! But since Sony has now entered the DVD-R game, it's probably more likely to show up there. They sadly don't seem to care much about releasing any older genre titles in the retail section these days.

I wish! But since Sony has now entered the DVD-R game, it's probably more likely to show up there. They sadly don't seem to care much about releasing any older genre titles in the retail section these days.

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Good call. Perhaps maybe Spookies will make a DVD-R appearance as well sooner than later.